Spatchcock Chicken
with roast vegetables, and a tarragon & mushroom cream sauce.
There’s nothing quite like roast chicken, in my opinion, and spatchcocking it is such a great way to cook it evenly, without taking hours. You get delicious, juicy meat, and fantastic, crisp skin. This dish feels impressive but is actually very straightforward. Roasting the chicken over the veg means everything gets infused with chicken flavour, and serving it with a classic white wine, tarragon & mushroom sauce makes it feel totally restaurant-worthy. Serve with a crisp green salad to balance the richness. Heaven.
Serves 4
Tips & Tricks
Chicken: Pat the chicken really dry before seasoning to get a nice crisp skin. Temperature rules over timings always when it comes to meat, so if you don’t have one already, I strongly recommend you invest (they’re quite cheap on Amazon) in a temperature probe. It will give far more precise results and ensure no dry meat.
Salad: I love a classic French dressing as the tanginess really helps to cut through the richness of the sauce. You could serve it with some green veg though, if you prefer.
Potatoes: Opt for a small, waxy variety like new, baby or jersey royals. Avoid the big floury ones for this recipe.
Roasted Vegetables: I have used carrots & celeriac alongside the potatoes here as they’re my favourite, but you could play around with any root vegetables and any ratios you like. Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, swede, etc. would all work well.
Wine: If you don’t fancy opening a whole bottle of white wine, use one of those small (187 ml) bottles. Just make up the difference with a little extra stock.
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
large roasting tray/baking dish
oven rack/grill
temperature probe (optional but recommended)
Ingredients.
1 whole chicken
500 g new/baby potatoes
300 g carrots
250 g celeriac
4–5 garlic cloves
2 tsp dried thyme
A few tbsp olive oil
Salt + black pepper
Creamy tarragon, & mushroom sauce:
250 ml dry white wine
20 g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1–2 garlic cloves
2 banana/eschalion shallots
200 g button mushrooms, or closed cup
150 ml crème fraîche, or double cream
250 ml chicken stock (using one Knorr stock pot)
1.5–2 tsp dried tarragon, or approx. 5 sprigs of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
Salt + black pepper
Green salad
2 baby gem lettuces, or mixed crunchy salad leaves
Dressing:
3 tbsp sunflower/veg/light olive oil (don’t use the EVOO for this one, it’s too strong)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt + black pepper, to taste
Method.
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan / 210°C conventional / 410°F.
Vegetable prep: Halve the potatoes, cut the ends off the carrots and cut into chunks, and peel and cut the celeriac. Everything should be similar-sized chunks. No need to peel the potatoes and carrots. Add the chopped veg to a colander and run under water to remove any dirt.
Add to a large roasting tray with the garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, and toss through the dried thyme.
To spatchcock the chicken, place it breast-side down on a chopping board. Using strong kitchen scissors, cut down one side of the backbone, then the other, and remove it completely. Flip the chicken over and press firmly down on the breastbone to flatten it.
Pat the chicken dry, drizzle with olive oil, and season generously all over.
Place the chicken directly onto a clean oven rack, and place this in the top half of the oven. Position the vegetable roasting tray below it in the bottom half of the oven to catch the juices. If your roasting tin is smaller than the width of the oven, place a spare tray at the bottom of the oven to catch any stray drips.
Roast for 45–60 minutes (ideally use a temperature probe to gauge timings, aim for 75°C in the thickest part of the thigh), until golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: finely dice the shallots.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots for 10 minutes until softened.
Meanwhile, finely slice the button mushrooms, and finely dice the garlic.
Add the mushrooms along with the butter and cook for 8–10 minutes until lightly browned, adding the garlic and tarragon for the last few minutes. Season well.
Pour in the white wine and simmer on high for 5 minutes to reduce, then add the stock and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Finally, reduce the heat and stir in the crème fraîche. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then take off the heat but leave in the saucepan until needed so you can easily bring it back to a gentle simmer before serving.
While the chicken is resting, return the vegetables to the oven for 10-15 minutes, this time placing them higher in the oven to help them colour.
Make the salad: whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper. Toss through salad leaves just before serving.
Carve the chicken by first cutting away the legs & thighs. Then, cut off the wings, leaving a little breast meat attached for ease. Finally, remove the breasts by cutting either side of the breast bone (one at a time) and carving it away from the carcass, being carful to avoid the wishbone at the back and cutting as close to the bones as possible so as not to waste any meat. Cut the breast into slices, keeping the crisp skin attached if possible.
Serve with the roasted veg, plenty of sauce, and the crisp green side salad.
